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Every child deserves a home and a family. Students learn about the loving choice of adoption and explore stories of people who have been adopted. They will develop a deeper understanding of what adoption and foster care are and why, as Christians, we take very seriously the responsibility for every child born into the world.

Pope Francis issued the encyclical Laudato si, the first written specifically on the environment. Students will understand the connection between honoring the dignity of each person, serving the poor and vulnerable, and protecting our environment.

Pope Francis has called us to go out with the joy of the Gospel, to encounter people where they are. Like Mother Teresa, we are called to serve the poor by looking people in the eye, respecting their dignity, and engaging in works of mercy.

God makes each person special—a unique creation whom He planned from the beginning of time. Students are encouraged to recognize each person as a gift, regardless of their strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. 

The international movement to legalize assisted suicide teaches that some lives are worth living while others have no value. As Christians, we embrace interdependence and understand that suffering is a necessary, if difficult, part of life. When we ask for help and allow others to care for us, we are providing the opportunity for others to offer mercy to us.

Solidarity invites us to see immigrants through the lens of our common dignity as members of the human community. When we begin to understand what motivates people to come to the United States, we learn that they are looking for the same things we are: peace, security, opportunity, education, and stability.

Sometimes it is easier to recognize the goodness and value of other people. It can be difficult to believe that we are good and worthy of respect. Students will learn that taking care of ourselves is part of the call to holiness.

Students will learn about the mercy of God and His invitation to us to uphold the dignity of every person, even those who have committed crimes. Bad decisions cannot destroy the reality of the love of God. Solutions to crime and punishment must take into account the dignity of every person.

To truly create a world where every person is loved, each individual has to do his or her share to spread kindness, mercy and an authentic understanding of being part of the human family. Only then will abortion and other attacks on human life end.

By teaching the truth about marriage—a loving, permanent commitment between a man and a woman to each other and any children they may have—we allow students to realize that God intends something special for us, and that we are made for and capable of lasting, authentic love.​

Each person is totally unrepeatable and loved into existence by God. In our world, it is so important that we learn to respect the dignity of every human person, no matter our differences.

Life is a gift – but sometimes we don’t recognize the goodness of God’s plans and we choose to turn away. God is always calling us back to Himself. He invites us to receive His mercy and to extend forgiveness to others. 

Every person possesses inherent dignity. This means that persons can never be treated as objects to be used but must be respected as bearing the image of God. In this lesson, students will unpack what it means to respect others.